This invention relates to electronic devices and, more particularly, to latch structures for electronic devices such as portable computers.
Portable computers often have detachable covers. In a typical scenario, a main logic board and computer components such as a hard drive and optical disk drive are mounted in a computer housing. The housing may be formed from upper and lower halves that are secured by screws. In the event that an interior portion of the computer requires servicing, service personnel may disassembly the upper and lower housing portions to gain interior access.
While this type of arrangement may be satisfactory for permitting occasional access to interior computer components, housings that have portions attached by screws are generally too cumbersome to use in situations in which more frequent interior access is desired. For example, if a user desired to access the interior of a computer to make an adjustment or to replace a depleted battery with a freshly charged battery, requiring the user to disassemble the computer with a screwdriver would be unacceptable.
Many portable computers are provided with externally mounted batteries. Because this type of battery does not require internal housing access, the need for disassembly the computer case to exchange batteries is avoided. However, the appearance of externally mounted batteries tends not to be aesthetically pleasing. Externally mounted batteries often protrude significantly from the housing of the computer, leading to an unsightly bulge in the rear part of the housing. Moreover, external battery mounting arrangements do not address the difficulties associated with providing access to the interior of the computer for other purposes.
It would therefore be desirable to provide portable computers with improved structures such as housing cover latch structures for providing aesthetically pleasing and secure battery storage and interior housing access.